Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -14 March 2013

I finally gave in and gave Ella a recorder.  Oak Meadow curriculum have wanted me to be doing music with her all year.  I just wasn't ready.  But Ella has taken to it fairly quickly.  Unlike the 'instructions' say, I'm teaching her the actual notes and how to read the music.  Ella's mind doesn't really do well with the 'just play along' school of thought.  She likes her music/art/etc to turn out 'like it's supposed to'.  She's not into abstract -just like her Momma.

Well she decided to write a song yesterday.  And she's given me permission to share it with everyone.

Animals I See in the Lane

I saw some animals in the land

It was a fine day, Tuesday

I had a day

I saw some animals on the side of the road

It was a fine, fine time

They looked sad

I never saw these animals before, they were brand new to me

I went back home to play my recorder

I was late for my recorder practice

Momma got me in the car

I saw the animals again

When I got to recorder practice, everyone said "ha ha, that's the girl that thought she saw animals on the side of the road"

I played my favourite song "Little Animals"

I remember when Momma used to sing it to me

It was a beautiful day, Momma and I were heading home

I didn't see the animals again

It was a strange day

At 9 pm I was still thinking of the little animals

I was thinking of them until 1 am

Momma woke me and asked if I wanted to pick roses in the garden

Oui, oui, yes, yes

We had a great time

Just me and my Momma

My helper putting away the eggs.

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy 43rd Birthday to my Sweetie!!!  We had a great supper over at Grandpa's with Colin's sister and her family too.  

I forgot to share this 'First' yesterday:

This is the first I've ever seen ear muffs worn while shredding carrots for carrot cake!

An Ella First

Ella's dance class takes place in a cute little old school house in Renfrew.  Her teacher insists on wooden floors for her girls (less chance of injury).  The old school house is now a Christian school (k-8) and Miss Pamela is actually one of the teachers there.  If I were to send Ella to school it certainly seems like one I would choose (if we were rich enough too of course).  

The school seems very 'Waldorf-ish' and Ella always finds lots of interesting things to look at while we wait.  Miss Pamela knows just how to handle Ella too.

So what did Ella find to do for the first time?

Climbing up a ladder!  She's done little ones on her slide.  But this was the first time on a big ladder that she actually had to climb back down again.  She thought the loft with the library was the best thing ever.

Snow!!

Ontario had a bit of a snow storm Wednesday.  It snowed for nearly 24 hours.  Thick, heavy, wet snow.  Keep in mind that it was really mild Thursday and a lot of the snow had melted by the time I got these pictures taken:

So wet and heavy that even the giant snow blower on the tractor couldn't move it.  Daddy spent Thursday pushing snow around with the tractor.  Trying to find places to pile it.

Ella decided to go over and try out the snow at Grandma's in Beachburg.

And of course, Daddy had to climb up and shovel off the machine shed again.

Christmas Blues

I've never really been one to understand Christmas blues.  Not the way most of society seems to feel them.  I mean, I know Christmas isn't here and gone in one day.  We celebrate the whole season of Advent and then all Twelve days of Christmas.  Usually by the end of the Christmas Season I feel rested and renewed, ready to start the New Year.

This year looked liked any other.  My Christmas Countdown was well in hand and things were ticking along perfectly.  We were enjoying our Advent and preparing for the holidays.

And then we lost Colin's Mom and everything seemed to fall apart.  We completely lost a week between the hospital trips and the funeral and I wasn't able to catch up.  Nothing got baked.  I barely even felt like decorating -I'm not sure I would have if it wasn't for Ella.

It seems like 'the Christmas that wasn't' this year.  Yesterday I actually found myself thinking 'it's almost Christmas'.   

Now it's time to take down the tree and put everything away.  Time to start school again (totally not ready for that).  I have to get Ella's kilt, blouse and vest made by the 26th when they have their first performance.  The upstairs is a disaster because I was trying to sort out the extra room and it's everywhere.  I need to make some dresses for me (I only have 2 'away from home' dresses).  I really should start thinking of Ella's Easter dress, especially since it might be her first Communion too.  Not to mention dozens of eggs to wash every day now (please come buy some).

And just because things aren't crazy enough, Daddy and I talked last night and Ella can't play outside any more without supervision.  The coyotes and wolves have gotten so bold I'm terrified to let her out by herself.  They are in the barn yard and on the driveway in broad daylight.  They have no fear of Colin.  So now I'll have to freeze my backside off so Ella can play, armed with my trusty baseball bat.  At least I found some new winter boots yesterday.

O Christmas Tree!

We've had really spotty internet the last few days, so I haven't been able to share our Christmas tree adventure.  

This year we went to a new tree farm.  There is a ridiculous lack of tree farms in the upper end of the Valley.  So we headed towards Ottawa and checked out the Cedar Hill Christmas Tree Farm.  Boy did we pick a great spot.

Of course, Daddy couldn't resist getting a picture of Momma and Ella.

I'm a little taller than normal because my boots have heels.  But that really is how tall Ella is getting.

We hopped on the wagon and headed out.  This year we wanted to try a Fraser fir.  I've heard they won't drop needles and were nice and strong (I have heavy old ornaments).  The trees were gorgeous.  Nicely trimmed but didn't look like bottle brushes -I hate that.

Someone missed coffee break on the way down (bad Momma) and had a bit of a meltdown because we were taking too long.  But it made a cute picture.

We finally found the perfect tree.  Luckily we had Daddy along, he's perfect for measuring tree height.  Daddy stands tall and reaches up, that's just about right for our 9 ft ceiling.

Heading back to the pick up location.  Standing around waiting isn't Ella's cup of tea, so she and I walked back to the main building.  Daddy had a bit of a sad time waiting for the tractor.  He kept thinking Mom would step out from around  the trees.  Mom loved finding the perfect tree.

Meanwhile, Ella was having a grand time on the sledding hill.  This is her first time sliding down a decent hill.  Before she's only had the snow pile in the yard. She had so much fun, but thought there should be a tow truck for the return trip up hill.

Then we headed inside for some lunch and hot cocoa. Prices were reasonable and the food was delicious.  And the staff really friendly.  Daddy wanted to bring the whole building home for a house .  In fact it was bigger than our entire house!

Ella would have been happy if we could have stayed all day.  She loves playing on these large 'square' bales.  They also had a regular play area.

We had a great time.

Ella did a great job decorating the tree.  She had most of it done by the time I had all the special stuff unwrapped.  The tree isn't really on a funny angle, our living room isn't big enough for me to get a good picture.  Also, you can't really see out silver star, but it's there.  I've really got to get my wrapping done today.

Toronto Santa Claus Parade!

Last weekend we headed to Scarborough to visit with Auntie Belinda and Uncle Stefan.  We also went downtown to see the Santa Claus parade.  This year we decided to stake out a place at Bloor and Spadina, just down the street from the start of the parade.

We arrived about 10 o'clock.  As you can see we had beautiful weather.  We actually got a little sunburnt from all the sunshine.  Best day ever for the parade.  Ella was happy, the first bunch of clowns that came by were handing out little stuffed beavers and she got one.

Lots of great floats.  I think this was one of Ella's favourites.  She loves gingerbread houses -Auntie Belinda loves Tim Horton's 

I think there were more bands this year than other years.  Including the marching band from the University of Western Ontario!!

It was really cool when we got to meet 'Pinball' Clemens.  I'm not a football fan, but even I know who he is  :)

And since it's the 100th Grey Cup this year, the Cup had it's own special 'float'. 

We can't forget the star of the show.  Santa was a giant hit as always.

And of course, there are always the people who try to spoil things.  We were all in place at 10 o'clock for the 12:30 parade.  That way we could get 'front-row' seats for the kids.  Well these people turned up about 12:20 and stood around ON the street waiting.  'Waiting for what' you ask?  They were waiting for the police to come along telling them to get off the road.  Then they had the nerve to just move to the curb and sit in front of everyone who had already been there for 1 1/2 hours!  Really, the nerve of some people.  Luckily they didn't try it with us.

We had a great time and certainly couldn't have asked for a nicer day.  Too bad Daddy and Uncle Stefan couldn't have come too.

Finished Nature Table

We've been working on our Autumn nature table for a while now.  I had wanted to make teasel mice, I finally even tracked down some teasels but just didn't get them finished.  

Ella had great fun making the Four-Season vase for our nature table.  We used tissue paper that represented all the seasons, including some sparkly white.  

Our table seemed a little bare, so I whipped up some friends for the hedgehog.

And here's our finished table.  I'm waiting for a beautiful fall silk from Beneath the Rowan Tree but Ella couldn't wait to show her little fuzzy friends.

Midsummer Day -St. John the Baptist

Today is Midsummer's Day, though those who are no longer tied to the land get upset and say the summer has just started.  But for the farmer, this is (sort of) mid-way through the growing season.

It is also the fest-day for St. John the Baptist.  Gospel tells us that John was born 6 months before Jesus, so we celebrate John's birthday mid-way through the year (based on Christmas). 

What better way to celebrate Midsummer than a picnic at the local park.  Ella and I picked up subs from Subway and found a nice spot over looking Muskrat Lake in 'downtown' Cobden.

It is a perfect day.  We've got a bit of cloud cover (please, God send rain) and it's a beautiful 22C without humidity.  I would be happy if summer would stay like today.

Is it a fairy's home or a chipmunk's -we're not sure.  Ella left some sub crumbs just in case either was hungry.

Even Ella's sunflowers decided to join in the celebrations!

One of Ella's Market friends had a surprise for her yesterday.  A partially finished home-made Raggedy Ann needed a home with a little girl to love and a Momma to make some clothes.  Ella really loves her new dolly.  We lost Quack last night, so the new dolly helped take the sting out of that news.

For a final Midsummer celebration, Colin has been slow roasting a roast of pork in his wood-fired bbq.  Boy it sure smells good out there.  We were going to eat here, but we're going to take it over to the In-Laws, just in case it does rain (please, please, please) we can either eat in Mom's big kitchen or out on their lovely verandah.   It's also nicer when we can keep the food in the house and away from the bugs  :)

Cold front went through just before supper, so we had supper in Grandma and Grandpa's house.  It was delicious, too bad we didn't get a picture of everything on the table.  I made hot potato salad and Isobel made a green salad.  I also whipped up some chocolate chip bars for dessert.

Marshmallows over the fire a fitting end to a lovely Midsummer's day.  And yes, we got a bit of rain, but we still need more.

April Fool/Palm Sunday

We don't really make a fuss for April fool's day here.  It's not my favourite holiday.  I did fool Ella into thinking there was a porcupine in the garden and I let her 'fool' me a couple times too.  Then we looked out the window and saw Mother Nature was playing a trick on us.

Yep it's snowing!  Not happy with that.

We also went to church with Colin's parents.  Not quite the Palm Sunday service Ella and I are used to, but it's Dad's 70th birthday.  We then went back to the house and had lunch and ice cream cake.

Spring

A bunch of my internet 'friends' have been sharing the signs of spring at their homes.  It's been so nice to see.  So I thought I'd share my current spring pictures, so here is my tulip garden:

Yep, that's a good 2 feet of snow.  Too bad Colin didn't get a picture of the thermometer this morning.  It was -10F!  The house is so cold today we've had to put the oil on a couple times.  I guess Colin is going to have to put the plastic back on the patio door (it came off in that crazy wind the other day).

Here's a real sign of spring.  The barn cats are out and about during the day enjoying the sunshine.  Another sign of spring (but you can't really see in this picture) is Zebra's (grey stripes) growing belly.  I don't think that's just lunch  :)
One last sign of spring:

Daddy busy finishing up his Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA) and Animal Care paperwork.
Is it spring where you are yet?

Niagara Falls Part Two

Great Wolf Lodge has some great themed suites.  We just got one of their plain family suites

Two nice big queen size beds, kitchenette (microwave and fridge), 2 tvs, and seating area.  I'm taking this picture from in front of the fireplace.

There was so much to see and do.  All these animals and the tree move and talk.  Ella was a little uncertain about all this (it was loud).

Ella even found the hall ways fun!  This is how she walked down the hall every time.  Sometimes just stepping on the leaf squares other times stepping on the animal squares.

Once you are water-logged, the kids (and grown-ups) can have hours of fun on the many magical quests.  Following clues and their wands, the kids wander around 4 hallways and 2 stairwells to collect runes and complete the quest.

Uncle Stefan and Ella went questing the first evening.  Grandma even got in on the action our second evening.  And what does Ella look like after a day of travel, water and questing??

It's amazing how much bed a little person can occupy.

Ella tried to convince us that we didn't need to leave the hotel.  I told her we weren't going all the way to Niagara Falls without actually seeing the Falls.  You can't see it in this picture, but there was a beautiful rainbow over the Falls.

Our room also came with a pass for Ella to the Cub Club.  She got to 'paint' her own souvenir t shirt.  She did a great job colouring in 'Violet' the wolf. 

And of course, some pictures from the back seat.

This trip was so much fun.  It really was the trip of a life-time.  Thank you so much Auntie Belinda and Uncle Stefan.